High time

[Casiopea]

I c!! Thank you, teacher Casiopea!! :D

You're welcome. :D

Try, I see. :wink:

[Andy]

I like to group this thus:

"It's time" followed by the past subjunctive indicates that the speaker thinks that the action should have already happened;

"It's about time" is more emphatic; and

"It's high time" is more emphatic again.

I think that "it's time and "it's about time" can also be followed by "to" and the infinitive, but "it's high time can't.

At the moment my Venn diagram doesn't contain preparatory phrases, In an effort to keep things simple, I've held off from putting them in before except in some of the links, but apart from the dummy "it", "here" or "there", they are essentially verbs followed by other verbs. Perhaps I should include them.

http://www.geocities.com/endipatterson/Catenative.html

[bradaman]

Dear teachers, what does "high time" mean?
Thanks!

Does "hight time" mean the same that "about time"?

[RonBee]

Does "hight time" mean the same that "about time"?

Pretty much, although as noted earlier, high time is perhaps more emphatic.

(Say: "Does high time mean the same as about time?")

[bradaman]

Thanks from Argentina

[Mad-ox]

It's high time we went to read.
It's high time we would go to read.
It was high time we had gone to read.

so a can not see any infinitive form!!!!!!!!!!

[Teia]

Hi Teachers

I understand that the phrase "it`s time" can be followed by a verb in infinitive, past tense simple or past perfect simple.
"It`s high time" can be followed by a verb in the past tense simple. Can this phrase be followed by a verb in the past perfect tense simple?

e.g. It`s high time I had done my homework
or
It`s time I had done my homework

Thank you very much

Regards,

[RonBee]

It's high time we went to read.
It's high time we would go to read.
It was high time we had gone to read.

so a can not see any infinitive form!!!!!!!!!!

As has been established, the infinitive form is not used after high time. (Try: "It's (It is) high time that we started reading.")

Cordially,
RonBee

[RonBee]

It`s high time I had done my homework No.
or
It`s time I had done my homework No.

It's high time that I started doing my homework. OK.

[Teia]

It`s high time I had done my homework No.
or
It`s time I had done my homework No.

It's high time that I started doing my homework. OK.

Hi RonBee

Thank you very much for clarifying that.